His Savior
by mutantmuggle
Summary: As H.Y.D.R.A fell for good, the Avengers rescued a child named Felicity who was the subject of experiments. When she starts to develop powers resulting from the experiments, it is up to the Avengers to keep her safe from those who may seek her out. Bruce Banner and Felicity develop a close bond that makes him think she's the one meant to save him.
1. Chapter 1: Awake

Big brown eyes opened and gazed around at the sunlit room. The little girl had been imprisoned by H.Y.D.R.A and was experimented on. She wasn't a mutant, but an ordinary 6 year old girl. Her father was a member of H.Y.D.R.A and when he turned on them, that's when they killed her parents and took the girl captive. She couldn't even remember her own name. Where was she now? The place looked far more welcoming than the cell she had lived in for the past 4 months.

The small body crawled out of the bed. She was clad in a hospital gown. Her legs gave out below her, causing her to stumble, bumping into the nightstand. A vase of flowers which had given a very friendly feeling in the room tipped over. Her legs felt weightles.

She didn't know how to react when she saw the door open, so she somewhat panicked.

The man entered the room and smiled at the girl.

"You're awake," he said to her, kneeling down to her level, to help her up. "You can call me Bruce," he said, introducing himself. He noticed the girl looking scared. "You're safe here."

The child's heart raced. Her head began to throb like it did many times while in captivity. It was so bad that she would cry. She pulled away from Bruce and stumbled to the ground, covering her eyes. She let out painful wails, which broke Bruce's heart. He knelt back down and pulled her in his arms. "What is it sweetheart?" He asked her, worriedly.

"My head. Make it stop!" She cried, before covering her ears. "It's so loud!" She exclaimed, in a raised voice. It would stop on its own, but when this happened, it was agony.

Bruce didn't know how to make it stop, so he cradled her, hoping it would pass. They would have to do some tests to see what was wrong with her. Once the girl calmed, he figured it passed. He helped her back in the bed. She was with the Avengers, in its makeshift infirmary.

"You're okay now. What happens?" Bruce asked her, sitting on the bed.

"My head hurts really bad and I hear a loud noise," the girl said, wiping her eyes. "It keeps happening."

The doctor figured it was the result of experiments. H.Y.D.R.A did like to play god. They were trying to create a superhuman to use as a weapon, more than likely.

"We're going to help you," said Bruce. "What's your name honey?"

"I don't know," said the girl, staring down sadly.

He gently pushed a strand of her brown locks behind her ear.

"Okay, then we'll find out," he responded to her. "Will you come with me so that I may help you?"

The little girl gave a nod, but was scared of what he would do.

"I'm just going to take a quick blood sample few pictures of your head, okay? You must be hungry. I will get you some food shortly," said Bruce, giving her a warm smile.

The girl nodded again. She crawled out of the bed, this time able to keep her balance. He carefuly led her out of the room and to his lab, which was in the same vicinity.

"Okay, just sit right there and relax," said Bruce as he lead her to a chair, so he could take a blood sample. This didn't phase the girl as she was used to needles prodding and poking her. He walked over to his sink, washed his hands and dryed them. He walked back over to the chair and grabbed a syringe from the little table. He prepared the syrinch and tied a band around her little arm. "You don't have to look if you don't want to," he said calmly, before inserting the needle into her arm.

Even though she was used to it, the needle prick hurt. She closed her eyes. Once he was done, he threw the syringe way and sealed the sample.

"You did good," said the scientist as he bandaged her arm. "Hey, I am going to put some cartoons on for you while I prepare the machine, okay?" He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. It was plastered to the wall. He stopped on My Little Pony. "I'll be right back kiddo."

He walked to the other side of the lab where he had a cat scan machine. He had all of these instruments and tooks there for his sake. They had to make sure the girl didn't have a tumor or anything else as deadly. Who knew with the H.Y.D.R.A experiments. After a few minutes, he returned to the child.

"All ready kiddo," he said as he escorted her to the machine. "This wont hurt at all," he said as he helped her get strapped in.

Steve entered the lab to check on their guest. He was the one who actually rescued her from H.Y.D.R.A's clutches. He had gone in there and helped all of the captives escape, but they brought the child back because she was unconscious at the time. He gazed over towards the end of the lab to see Bruce over there. He decided not to bother them and waited there quietly. He took a seat. The blonde had been worried about her all night and even stayed by her side most of the night until Bruce took over.

The child closed her eyes and relaxed while the procedure was done. Bruce took a few scans and helped her out of the machine.

"We'll have some answers soon. I promise," he said, taking her hand, guiding her back out of the lab. He noticed Steve there. "Hey," he said to his friend.

"Hey," said Steve. "How are you feeling?" He asked the little girl.

The child squeezed Bruce's hand.

"It's okay kiddo, this is Steve. He saved you from those bad people," said Bruce, reassuringly.

The little girl released her grip.

"I feel tired and icky," said he child.

"I'll bet, but Bruce is going to make you all better and then we'll find your mother and father, okay?" Steve reassured as he knelt to her level.

"My mother and father? I don't remember them," she said, looking sad.

Steve frowned. He wrapped the girl in a hug and held her tightly. God knows she needed it. "It's gonna be okay." Steve's phone buzzed. It was Fury. He released the hug and picked it up. "Hello?" He stepped aside to talk to Fury. Bruce picked the girl up and carried her back to her room.

"I'll bring you some food," said Bruce as he placed her on the bed. He turned on the TV for her. "I'll be back."

He left the room, running back into Steve.

"Fury found out who she is. Her name is Felicity. Her parents were killed by H.Y.D.R.A. She's from Washington DC. He's looking for any possible family as we speak," said Steve to Bruce, a bit forlorn. It will be heartbreaking when she gets her memory back. "We can tell her what her name is, but I wouldn't mention her parents right now."

Bruce gave a nod. "Good idea," he said to Steve. "Poor thing."

"I know, and just think about the others who didn't make it," said Steve. He gave a sigh. "I guess we can't save them all."

Bruce sighed as well. "It's a sad sad world. I'm going to get some food for her, why don't you keep her company."

Steve gave a small smile. "Happy to," he stated as he headed into the room where the child stayed.

Bruce headed up towards the kitchen. He'd get her something easy to eat. He had a lot on his mind. The scientist would look at the scans after feeding the girl. He wanted to feel anger over what H.Y.D.R.A did to the child, but he couldn't. The green guy had to be controlled. Instead, he felt sadness.

Once in the kitchen, he pulled bread out, peanut butter and jelly. Not having much experience with kids, he knew all kids liked peanut butter and jelly. He'd make it the way he liked to eat it as a kid. First there was the peanut butter, it had to go on both sides. Second came the jelly. It had to be spread on the left piece of bread. He spread it and placed the two pieces of bread together. Lastly, the crust had to come off. He cut around the cust and placed it on a plate. As he garnished the plate with apple slices, he wondered where the others were.

Meanwhile, Steve kept Felicity company. By now Felicity knew her name. He entertained her by telling her a story as she didn't seem too interested in the TV.

The story was interrupted by Bruce entering with the girl's meal. He placed the plate on the little table next to the bed. He also placed a glass of water next to the plate. "Try and eat this, okay?" Bruce asked.

Felicity nodded as Steve helped her sit up. Steve placed the plate on her lap.

"Where's everyone else?" Bruce asked.

"I believe Natasha and Clint went to work out and Tony and Thor are with Fury, interrogating the twins," said Steve, of the other team members. "They should be back soon."

Bruce gave a nod. "I'm going to look at the scans. I'll be back Felicity," he said kindly, before leaving the room, heading back to the lab.


	2. Chapter 2: Discovery

(_Italics _indicate thoughts)

Felicty slept, getting much needed rest. Bruce had medicated her with something to help keep the headaches away. He sat in his lab and looked at the scans. They confused him. There didn't seem to be any kind of tumor or any physical sign ot brain damage. The scans looked good, so he placed them in a folder, stood up and grabbed the blood sample. He placed it in the centrifuge so the components would separate. Knowing that would take a few minutes, he walked over to the counter by the sink and poured himself a cup of coffee. Sleep was a rare occurance the past few weeks.

Tony entered the lab. They did share it, but Tony had a seperate lab for his electronics. "Hey Brucy, I'm home," he quipped. "Came to make sure you're still alive up here."

Bruce gazed at his friend. He looked tired, but tried not to act it. That's what the coffee was for.

"Well, I appreciate that," Bruce joked, "So how did it go?"

"I think we're getting through to the little bastards. Once we can confirm that they pose little threat to the population, Fury wants to recruit them," Tony responded, walking over to the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup as well. "So how's the rugrat?"

"She's resting. She keeps having episodes where she'll have a really bad headache accompanied by a loud sound in her ears. I did a CAT scan on her and didn't find anything abnormal. I'm going to look at her blood as well. I want to know what they did. I'm worried for her life. I may have to do an EEG test on her," said Bruce, putting his coffee down. He walked over to the centrifuge and turned it off. He gazed back at his friend.

"Either it kills her or makes her super human, " said Tony.

"That's what I am thinking. What she is experiencing is not normal by any means," Bruce responded, removing the vial of blood from the centrifuge.

"This is why you are a doctor and I am a scientist. If anyone can figure out what's going on with her, it's you," said Tony, giving his friend a pat on the back. Tony didn't know much about neuroscience. Bruce wasn't technically an MD, but he knew his stuff when it came to the human body.

"Thanks for the encouragement," said Bruce as he carried the vial of blood to his microscope. "So, I will do the EEG. That will measure brain activity," he said, as he dropped some blood on a slide and took a look at it. "I just hope we get answers soon."

"I sent Pepper out to get a few things for our little friend," said Tony as he sat in one of those spinning office chairs. He spun and traveled over to where Bruce was examining the blood. "I just figured, women are better at that stuff."

Bruce wasn't really listening to Tony because he was concentrating. "This is very odd. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. At the same time, it doesn't appear she is in any danger, but more testing will have to be done."

"You should take a break and get some sleep," said Tony to his fellow scientist.

"I can't seem to. There's a lot on my mind," said Bruce, as he stood up from where he was at the microscope.

"There's been a lot on all of our minds, but the worst of it is over," stated Tony. "Go on. The kid isn't going anywhere."

Bruce sighed and gave a nod. "I suppose I could use a few hours of shut eye."

He hesitated to leave Felicity alone. "Maybe we should move her. I mean, we only brought her down here because she had to be under medical observation," he said as he and Tony left the lab. He entered the child's room and carefully picked her up. They had a few spare rooms that were in the main levels.

Once they got the child settled in one of the spare rooms, Bruce felt a bit better about relaxing. He entered his room and then his bathroom. He decided to take a long and hot shower first. He hadn't really had one since they returned.

Thor was bored, sitting on the couch, flipping through the TV channels.

"This magic box shows nothing of interest," said the god. "What do these Kardashian mortals even do?"

Clint sat nearby, reading through a magazine. He raised an eyebrow at his muscular friend.

"Nothing, but that's reality TV for you," said Clint, as he got back to his reading. "Do us a favor though, try not to break _this _TV," the archer added. Thor had broken the last two with Mjolnir, because of the programming.

"I told you, Mjolnir slipped out of my hand," stated Thor, but that was a load of bull.

Felicity stepped out of the spare room and looked around. She heard what sounded like voices, coming from different directions. It confused her. She looked around. "Hello?" She called out. She gazed over at the two men in the living room.

"Ah the little female child stirs," said Thor. He stood up to greet her.

Felicity looked up at the tall man in awe. She continued to hear him talking, even when he finished talking. She gazed over at the other man and could hear him also. She was hearing their thoughts. They wouldn't stop. Her head throbbed. "Please..stop!" She cried. It was all too much.

_"What in the world is going on? Why is she freaking out?"_ Clint thought, as he stood up and approached the child. _"H.Y.D.R.A probably screwed with her brain. Bastards."_

"I do not understand child. What is it?" Thor asked the girl.

All of a sudden the voices stopped and everything seemed normal.

"You okay kid?" Clint asked.

"I heard voices. I don't know why," said Felicity. She then looked up at Clint. "I heard you and you," she added, pointing to both Clint and Thor. Felicity didn't know how to explain it. "And I heard other voices too, but they sounded like they were more far away."

"Telepathy," said Fury as he walked into the living room, from the hall. He was visiting after the interrogation with Pietro and Wanda. "She's hearing thoughts, from the way it sounds anyways."

Felicity gazed at the stranger with a patch on his eye.

"That possibly isn't the only side effect of the H.Y.D.R.A experiments. I'm Nick Fury," said Fury as he looked down at the child. He came off as intimidating.

"Or you can call him Patches," joked Clint.

"It's Nick Fury," said Nick. He softened a bit. "You survived quite the ordeal young lady. I trust you are doing well."

"What's going to happen to me?" Felicity asked, nervously.

"I am using every resource I have to find out what's going on and also to find your family," said Fury, kneeling down. "But you will be staying here for the time being where we have scientists in place who can find out exactly what's been done to you." He stood back up.

Pepper exited the elevator with a number of bags in her hands.

"Hey boys," she said to Thor, Clint and Nick. She saw he child and hoped she didn't feel too intimidated by the three guys.

"I was just leaving. Nice to see you Pepper," said Nick, as he headed towards the elevator.

"Well hello Felicity. I'm Pepper. I heard you're staying awhile, so I picked up a few things. Let's get you settled shall we?" Pepper smiled and gestured for the girl to follow her.

Felicity thought the woman looked nice and followed her down the hall. It was time to lose the hospital gown and get cleaned up.


	3. Chapter 3: The Truth

Thanks for the reviews and the follows! It really means a lot to me. I will be adding chapters, hopefully every weekend except when I have writers block.

* * *

Bruce really didn't need to do the EEG test after they found out Felicity was developing telepathic powers, but he did anyways, just to get an inside look of just what was going on in her head. He sat quietly at his desk, in the lab and studied the results. They were off the charts. Because of this, they couldn't just release her to whatever family she had left, especially when the majority of the population didn't understand this kind of thing. It was a bit worrisome to say the least. He didn't think a child should be subject to hear the thoughts of adults around her, however, he didn't know of a cure or reversal. If he knew how to reverse something like that, he'd be able to reverse what was done to him as well.

Since it had been a couple of days since Felicity was brought back to the Avengers tower and she was taking medication for the headaches, she was slightly more comfortable there, however it bugged her that she could not remember her life before H.Y.D.R.A. For all she knew, she had been a captive of H.Y.D.R.A her entire 6 years.

The child walked down the stairs after leaving her room. She smelled something really good cooking and wondered what it was. She peered into the kitchen to see Pepper and Tony. She watched how the two interacted.

Tony pinched Pepper's ass. Pepper laughed and playfully slapped his arm.

"Let me cook and go play with your toys," said Pepper, to Tony.

Felicity raised an eyebrow and walked over to the counter. She climbed onto a bar stool.

"Oh hey," said Pepper as the child caught her gaze. She wondered how much the child had seen.

"What are you making?" Felicity asked, curiously.

"Lasagna," said the woman. "That is, if Tony stops distracting me."

"Hey, not my fault you're distracted by this," said Tony, gesturing that she was distracted by his handsome self. He started making himself a martini.

"Do you have to drink around Felicity?" Pepper asked Tony.

"Hey, I am making it around Felicity. I'm not going to drink it around her," said Tony. "I'm going to go and play with my toys like you suggested," he said, referring to his robotics.

Pepper gave Tony a playful smirk and looked over at the child.

"Would you like to help?" Pepper asked the girl. Children always liked helping with things in the kitchen.

Felicity got off the stool and moved over where Pepper was about to assemble the dish in the pan.

Tony finished making his drink.

"See you ladies soon," said Tony. He gave Pepper a kiss on the cheek and ruffled Felicity's hair. Tony left the kitchen and headed towards his lab.

"Are you and Mr. Tony married?" Felicity asked Pepper.

"No," said Pepper, annoyed because Tony has never asked. "We're not. Not yet anyways."

"Oh," said Felicity. She watched as Pepper laid the first layer of the lasagna.

"Would you like to do the second layer?" Pepper asked.

Felicity nodded. Pepper grabbed the step stool. Felicity climbed on the step stool and did the second layer. She was slow at first, but got the hang of it after that.

"Wow, you did great. Go ahead and do the next one," said Pepper, keeping an eye on her. Pepper smiled. "Normally we would make two, but Thor had to go back to Asgard."

"What's Asgard?" Felicity asked.

"It's Thor's home. He comes when he is needed and will come to just visit sometimes, but he lives in Asgard," said Pepper.

"Oh. I like Thor. He's funny," said Felicity, smiling up at the woman. "He's really big."

"He is, isn't he?" Pepper responded, as she gave a laugh. "You're a natural at this," she said, of the lasagna.

"Am I done?" Felicity asked. The pan was full to the top. Once Pepper gave a nod, she stepped down.

She watched as Pepper put it in the oven.

Bruce entered the kitchen, after spending a couple of hours in his lab. He was ready for a break. He found out most of what he needed to know based on the test results. He walked over to the cabinets and pulled out a glass. Watching Pepper and the child interact brought a smile to his face. The girl was getting by quite nicely.

"How are you doing Felicity?" He asked the child as he poured himself a glass of milk.

"Okay. Ms. Pepper was teaching me how to make lasagna," the little girl responded, moving over to Bruce.

"Have you heard any of those voices today?" Bruce asked, referring to her power.

"When I woke up, but I covered my head with my pillow until it stopped," said Felicity. "Why do I hear them?"

Bruce put his glass down and got to her level. "What those people did to you back at H.Y.D.R.A made some changes to you. You can hear what people are thinking. I don't know if this is forever or just for a little while and I don't know what else you are going to be able to do, but that's what happened."

"Okay, is that why my head hurts?" She asked him, innocently.

Bruce gave a nod, "I'm going to help you with this. Okay?"

Felicity nodded.

"Hey, Mr. Bruce? Did you find my mom and dad?" Felicity asked, not that she remembered them, but she knew she must have had parents.

Bruce frowned, not wanting to tell her, but she'd eventually find out. "Walk with me," he said, taking his glass, heading out of the kitchen. Felicity followed as they walked towards the living room.

"Your parents, well, I know you don't remember them, but you should know this. There isn't an easy way to say it. There isn't a way to find them because they are no longer alive," Bruce said, sadly.

Felicity's breath hitched. She stopped in her tracks. If she had remembered them, she probably would broken down, but she was still saddened and overwhelmed by the news.

The two moved over to the couch.

"I'm so sorry," said Bruce as he moved closer to the girl, putting a hand on her back.

"I wish I remembered them," said Felicity, before burrying her face in her hands

"You will, someday," he said reassuringly, "I'll do what I can to help you."

Bruce looked down at the child as she had her face burried. The child leaned into him. In a way he was caught off guard, but felt compelled to put his arm around her. He had never been close to a child. This child trusted him. In a way he was worried being around children, because he can't always control the Hulk.

"I will say that we are looking for other family, such as your grandparents, aunts and uncles. Though, we do want you to stay here, at least for a little while, because of your ability," he said, looking down at her, keeping a comforting arm around her.


	4. Chapter 4: JARVIS

Leaves cracked beneath her feet as she kept running, as if she ran for her life. She looked back at the small house which burned behind her. The smoke was so bad and it seemed like it chased her down the dirt path. All of a sudden Felicity woke up, having a coughing fit. Not understanding why she had that dream, she broke down. After letting herself cry for a good five minutes, she climbed out of the bed, wiping her eyes. The child tip toed out of the bedroom.

It was dark out in the hall, but she was hoping to find someone else awake, as she didn't want to be alone right now. She slowly made her way to the stairs.

J.A.R.V.I.S made the light come on, which startled Felicity. She continued down the stairs as she didn't want to take the elevator alone.

"Hello?" She called out softly but loud enough so that anyone awake could hear her coming.

"Are you alright miss?" A British voice asked.

"Who's there?" Felicity asked. It was a voice unfamiliar to her. She didn't see anyone when she got to the main floor of the Avengers penthouse.

"I am J.A.R.V.I.S, Master Stark's personal computer and assistant. Nice to meet you miss Felicity," said the computer.

"How did you know my name and where are you?" Felicity asked, looking around.

"Well, miss Felicity, I have been here all along, so I picked up your name. You triggered me as you reached the stairs. I am programmed to make sure safety is a priority here at the Avengers tower," J.A.R.V.I.S answered.

"Yeah, but where are you?" Felicity asked again.

"I am everywhere in this building, however my base is master Stark's laboratory. I am not a human being, if that's what you are asking," J.A.R.V.I.S responded to the confused child.

"So you're not a person? How are you talking?" Felicity asked, looking up and around.

"Oh my dear child, I am Just A Rather Very Inteligent System," he said, as the light in the living room came on.

Felicity took a seat on the sofa.

"So, what stirs you from your slumber?" the computer asked. He was really good at listening and giving advice.

"I just had a bad dream. I was running and there was a fire. I couldn't breathe," Felicity said, rather panicked.

"Oh dear, perhaps you should try reading a pleasant book before bed," said J.A.R.V.I.S.

"I can't read," Felicity said, sadly. She was learning before H.Y.D.R.A killed her parents and captured her, but she didn't remember that.

"Or how about getting someone to read to you," J.A.R.V.I.S. suggested.

"Can you?" Felicity asked, getting comfy on the sofa. She grabbed the little blanket that was draped over the sofa and laid back.

"I have 10,000 books in my database," said J.A.R.V.I.S.

"What's a database?" Felicity asked, curiously.

"It's my memory bank. I have 10,000 books, which one would you like me to read?" He responded.

"I don't know," she replied, yawning.

"Very well. I shall pick one," he stated as he dimmed the lights on the floor, " Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers," he said as Felicity turned to lay on her side, "If you want to find Cherry-Tree Lane all you have to do is ask the policeman at the cross-roads. He will push his helmet slightly to one side, scratch his head thoughtfully, and then he will point his huge white-gloved finger and say: ' First to your right, second to your left, sharp right again, and you're there. Good-morning."

Felicity listened as J.A.R.V.I.S went on with the story, falling asleep by the third chapter.

The rest of the night was smooth, with no bad dreams. The smell of breakfast cooking stirred her from her sleep. She moved from the couch towards the kitchen, where she saw Natasha and Bruce cooking breakfast.

"Morning," said Bruce, smiling at the child. "I hope you like pancakes."

"Why were you asleep on the couch?" Natasha asked her, kindly, but curiously.

"I had a bad dream so I came out here and whats his name? Gary, read me a story," said Felicity, propping herself up on the counter stool.

"You mean J.A.R.V.I.S?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's the name," said Felicity.

Bruce started a pot of coffee and walked over to the child.

"What was your dream about?" Bruce asked, wondering if it's her repressed memory, trying to resurface.

"A fire," said Felicity. "I was running, scared."

According to what S.H.I.E.L.D dug up, her parents were killed in a fire started by H.Y.D.R.A to make it look like an accident. Bruce figured the nightmare was because it really happened. He poured Felicity some orange juice and handed her the glass.

Suddenly Felicity could hear Bruce's and Natasha's thoughts. Only this time they were clearer than they were last time. She looked somewhat panicked because she could hear Bruce's thoughts about the bad dream.

Bruce figured she must be hearing them by the look on her face.

"It's happening again?" Bruce asked Felicity.

She nodded. Surprisingly, she didn't hear any thoughts as he talked to her.

"Okay, Felicity, I need you to focus on me and what I am saying for it to stop, okay?" Bruce asked, looking into her eyes. "Close your eyes and just focus on what I am saying."

Natasha moved over to them. She tried to clear her mind.

Felicity tried to focus, as it wasn't stopping this time. This time, she was able to project her own thoughts into Bruce's head. They were sad thoughts.

"Felicity, I am going to count backwards from 100, out loud. Listen to my voice," said Bruce. "One hundred, ninety nine, ninety eight, ninety seven, ninety six, ninety five, ninety four," he counted slowly, hoping this would help her supress it. Felicity kept listening, until it stopped. She was able to suppress it, by just focusing on one thing.

"Where's Charles Xavier when you need him?" Natasha asked, getting back to cooking.

Bruce smiled at Felicity. "You okay sweetheart?"

Felicity nodded and got off the bar stool.

"I'm going to get dressed," said the little girl. She headed back up to her bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5: Memories

**~Boston~**

Nick Fury had been dealing with Pietro and Wanda, so didn't really have the time to track anyone down for Felicity, so he had Maria Hill do that. The woman walked up to a porch dressed in a business suit. The house looked older and was in a neighborhood in Boston. She was instructed to talk with who they suspected to be Felicity's grandparents. She rang the doorbell. A man in his 30s opened the door and looked at the woman warily, before stepping out on the porch.

"May I help you ma'am?" The man asked.

"Yes, I am looking for Margaret and Simon Moore," said Maria.

"I'm their son Raymond and they ain't in right now, may I ask the reason for your visit?" The man asked

"I'm special agent Maria Hill," she said, flashing her badge. "This is about Felicity."

"My niece? What have you done with her?" Raymond asked.

"We're keeping her safe. I'm here to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Moore," said Maria.

"They'll be back around five," said Raymond.

"I trust you know what happened to her parents?" Maria asked.

"We haven't talked to them in months. What's going on?" Raymond asked, raising a concerned eyebrow.

"I'll be back," said Maria, turning to head to the car. She wasn't going to divulge this information unless the grandparents were there.

"You sure as hell better come back with an explanation!" Raymond shouted after her. He went inside and closed the door. Raymond knew what happened to them, as he's the one who told H.Y.D.R.A where to find them. Raymond, being former H.Y.D.R.A since they were destroyed, was planning on working with other former H.Y.D.R.A on making a new organization. S.H.I.E.L.D had his niece for some reason and he wanted to know why.

**~New York~**

Meanwhile, back at the Avengers tower, Bruce and Tony were in the living room working on some theories about how to reverse what was done to Felicity. They had their laptops and papers were strewn across the couch. They were hopeful there would be some kind of cure since she was so young.

Felicity was there as well, keeping entertained. She walked over to Tony's grand piano, that he mainly had as a decorative piece. She sat on the bench and lifted the fallboard, placing it upright. She pressed a couple of the keys with her fingers. Her fingers moved in a pattern that she didn't recall ever learning, but felt the urge to play. She didn't remember that her mother was a pianist and taught her at a young age to play this one song.

Tony and Bruce glanced over at the piano. Bruce stood and walked over to see who was playing. He was surprised to see the 6 year old playing Canon in D almost perfectly. He continued to listen, not wanting to bother her, because it was beautiful. He almost had tears in his eyes, listening to the little girl play. This must have been more of her memory resurfacing because he doubted H.Y.D.R.A gave their captives a piano.

As Felicity played it, she began having flashes of sitting at the piano with a woman, learning the song. She figured it must be her mother. She kept playing through all of this.

"Did you learn that within the past couple of days?" Bruce asked her.

Tony walked over to the piano.

"Glad to see old Bessie is getting some love," said Tony, referring to the piano. He had it in Malibu. When the house was destroyed, the piano survived.

"No, I don't know how I knew it," said Felicity. "I just did."

"That was amazing," said Bruce. "Not many six year olds can play that well."

"I remember sitting next to a lady and she was helping me play it," said Felicity, of the fragments of memories she experienced playing.

"She must have been your mother or maybe another close female," said Bruce as he moved over to the piano bench. "I think your memory is slowly coming back."

She looked over at Bruce and gave a smile before getting off the bench. She tugged at Bruce's arm.

"Can you teach me how to read?" Felicity asked the man nicely.

"Yeah, teach the kid how to read. I'm going to see what Pepper is up to," said Tony before walking away.

Bruce felt honored by the child's request. They really didn't have any kids books though. "Sure, but why don't we take a trip to the library first. The only books we have are not of your reading level," he said, "why don't you get your shoes on and we'll go," he added.

Felicity nodded excitedly and went up to her room.

Bruce shut the fallboard and went back over to the couch. He gathered the papers he and Tony were looking at and closed his laptop. He picked up Felicity's doll off the floor and smiled. This is the life he would have had with Betty. They would have been married by now with a child or two, if things had gone differently. He placed the doll on the couch and headed to the lab to put the laptop and the papers away.

Felicity had a lot of fun with Bruce at the library, picking out books. She picked out a couple of Curious George books to learn with. Bruce thought she had good taste because those were his favorites as a child. Most of all, Felicity liked spending time with Bruce. He was how she pictured her own father.

**~Boston~**

Back in Boston, the clock struck 5:25pm. Maria parked before the old house again. She approached the door and rang. An elderly woman opened the door. She looked to be in her 60s.

"Hello, I am Maria Hill an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I am here to see Mr. and Mrs. Simon and Margaret Moore," said Maria.

"I'm Mrs. Moore. What is this about?" The woman asked.

"I'd like to talk to you and your husband about Felicity," said Maria.

The woman stepped aside and let Maria in. She was told by Raymond that she'd be coming by.

Maria took a seat across from the couple. She noticed pictures of the family on the walls. In some ways, the house had a very heart warming feel to it.

"We have your grand daughter. She was captured by an organization known as H.Y.D.R.A and we found her at one of their facilities," Maria started.

"Oh dear, where is she?" Margaret asked.

"She's safe, at one of our facilities. She isn't quite ready to be released to family as H.Y.D.R.A caused her to undergo some changes so to speak," said Maria, as she looked over at Margaret.

"How did they get her?" The elderly man asked.

"We have reason to believe her parents, your son and daughter in law, were murdered by H.Y.D.R.A before they took the child," Maria said, hating to break the bad news.

The elderly couple hugged and held each other, as they mourned their late son and daughter in law.

"My deepest condolences," said Maria, before looking at the ground, wondering how to move on to the next subject.

"When can Felicity be released to us?" Margaret asked as her husband kept his arm around her.

"We don't know. She's doesn't seem to remember anything or anyone prior to her capture. She was experimented on in an effort to turn her into some kind of weapon. That is all I know," stated Maria, before standing up. "I will keep in touch."

"Please, bring her here. Even if she doesn't remember," said Simon, "She needs to be home."

"I'll see what I can do," said Maria. "Thanks for your time."

Maria left the house, wanting to cry herself, watching the reaction of the couple hearing the news. She got in the car and left, heading back towards New York.

**~New York~**

It was bed time, especially for children. Felicity was cozy in her bed, with a book open. Bruce was beside her, helping her read the pages. He found himself really connecting with the girl. He smiled as he listened to her pronounce the words. Felicity looked up at him, tiredly.

"Can you read me the rest?" She asked, giving a yawn.

"Lets see," said Bruce, putting his glasses on. He had them in his hand. They were reading Curious George and the Rocket. ""He's built a rocket ship to travel into space. It is too small for a person to ride in, but it is just the right size for a clever monkey. "Do you want to go into space, George? You will have to be very brave ..."

What Bruce didn't realize is that Natasha was watching them. She had been passing and just peered in through the crack in the door. She gave a smile, finding this adorable. She watched for a few moments before heading to settle in for the night.

Bruce continued the story, until the end. He noticed the child asleep. He couldn't help but feel like he was partially living the life he would have led had he never went through the procedure that made him the Hulk. He closed the book and slowly pulled himself to his feet. He placed the book on the dresser and gently pulled the comforter over Felicity. He gazed down at the sleeping girl and smiled, before turning the bedside lamp off. Many thoughts rushed through his head as he headed to his room. What he felt is something he hadn't really felt before. Of course, he's cared for people in the past, especially when trying to help the sick and wounded in poor countries, but this was different.


	6. Chapter 6: Restless Night

Again, Felicity stirred from her sleep. She did not have a nightmare, as she did the night before, but rather, she woke up thinking she heard a man screaming. Her heart raced as she heard the thoughts of the others on the same floor, or rather, she heard their dreams. She tip toed out to the hall again, stopping at Bruce's door. He sounded like he was panicking.

Bruce's bedroom wasn't like the others. It had heavily reinforced walls and J.A.R.V.I.S was set up to put the room on lock down, should Bruce ever transform in it. The scientist had a bit better control now than he did in the past, but there was no such thing as being too careful. He would have bad nightmares from time to time, but surprisingly, he wouldn't transform in his sleep.

_Knock..knock…knock_

The child waited. She could hear Natasha across the way. It was when she heard many thoughts at the same time, she would freak out. Bruce's thoughts were louder. She gave another couple of knocks.

"Mr. Bruce!" The child called out. Her heart continued to race, as she feared for him. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. Bruce always kept his door locked at night. Felicity turned around and sat against the wall of the hallway.

"_Mr. Bruce, please be okay, please be okay,"_She thought, but she thought she heard her thoughts echo. She was projecting them to Dr. Banner.

Bruce opened his eyes and sat up, drenched in a cold sweat.

Felicity gave a sigh of relief when the panic dissipated, but she could still hear him.

Bruce stumbled into his bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face.

Felicity stood up again and knocked on Bruce's door, once more. She'd go back to bed if there wasn't an answer.

Bruce dried his face, turned on the light and went to his door, opening it. "Felicity? What are you doing up?"

"I heard you screaming and crying. I wanted to see if you were okay," said the little girl, looking up at the disheveled man. "Are you?" She asked.

"It was just a bad dream. I'm okay," said Bruce. "You should go back to bed sweetie."

"What was it about? Why were you screaming?" Felicity asked. She wasn't going to let this go and Bruce knew it. He let the child in his room.

Felicity entered his bedroom.

"_Should I tell her? I don't know if she is ready to hear the truth about me,"_ Bruce thought as he sat on his bed. "Well, I went through some pretty scary stuff before and sometimes it gives me bad dreams."

"I heard you and got so scared because you sounded like you were hurt," said Felicity, sitting on the bed beside him.

"There's something you don't know about me," said Bruce, looking down at the ground. "When I get angry something happens, something very dangerous. I turn into a monster and people get hurt. Sometimes I have a bad dream about the people who did this to me."

"You're not a monster," said Felicity, as she touched his arm, "no matter what."

Felicity's innocence made Bruce smile. He hoped that she would never have to see what he became though. He looked at the time.

"Let's get you back to bed," he said as he stood up and took Felicity's hand. He led her through the dark hallway back to her bedroom. Bruce flicked the light switch on.

Felicity crawled into bed and Bruce tucked her in.

"Mr. Bruce? Can I stay here forever?" Felicity asked, before giving a yawn.

Bruce didn't know how to answer that. She couldn't stay forever because she still had family and a child wasn't safe with the Avengers. He wished he could say yes, but he could not.

"You can stay for a while, but I am sure you have family looking for you," he said to the child. "Sleep well." He turned the light off and left her bedroom.

S.H.I.E.L.D had been all but dismantled after it was discovered that H.Y.D.R.A had infiltrated them, but when H.Y.D.R.A fell for good, S.H.I.E.L.D regrouped, however it was a smaller agency now. They only had two facilities in the country.

Natasha ran out of her room, after receiving a call that S.H.I.E.L.D had been compromised tonight.

"What is it Tasha?" Bruce asked.

"Clint, Steve and I need to get to S.H.I.E.L.D. There are men down. We have a sniper situation." Said Natasha, panicked.

**~At S.H.I.E.L.D~**

Men clad in all black used their skills to break into S.H.I.E.L.D. The group was led by none other than Raymond. He marched down the halls of S.H.I.E.L.D, which operated 24/7. Once he spotted a S.H.I.E.L.D guard he slammed the guy into the wall and held a gun to his chest.

"Where do you guys keep people you bring into custody?" Raymond asked.

The guard held his hands up.

"Who are you looking for?" The guard asked.

"A little girl, who was brought from H.Y.D.R.A," said Raymond.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," said the guard. The guard took his leg and plowed it into Raymond's knee, causing Raymond to lose his balance. Raymond shot at the guard, but the guard was stealthy enough to dodge the bullets and run to the other side of the hall. The guard pulled out his gun and fired shots towards Raymond. Raymond ran. Fury appeared before him.

"I do not appreciate getting up at 2 in the morning," Fury said to Raymond, "You want to settle things like men or do you want an ass whooping, because I can do both."

"Where's Felicity?" Raymond asked, pointing a gun at Fury. He wanted the child for her potential power. If he could get her, he could possibly duplicate the chemical compounds that they used when experimenting on her.

"You want to know? She's under the care of the Avengers, who I might add, you may not want to piss off," said Nick, pacing. "How did you find this place?"

"I have ties," said Raymond. Being a former member of H.Y.D.R.A, he was able to use technology to track Maria Hill. In the basement of the home, he had a technological haven. Once her cellphone was in close proximity, he was able to hack it and track its whereabouts.

Natasha, Steve and Clint had taken care of the team that followed Raymond in. Raymond was the only threat now.

Raymond pulled out his walkie talkie, "Send more in, hail hydra," he said into it, glaring at Nick.

Fury shot a few rounds, but Raymond was wearing a bullet proof vest. Raymond ran down the hall, before jumping out the window. He then ran away from the building. Fury ordered Natasha, Clint and Steve to sweep the building for those who may have come to help Raymond.


End file.
